Caribbean Chris

I appreciate your sharing this. It does make things difficult for service dog handlers, doesn't it!?

The Royal Viking Sea was my favorite of the original three ships, with a true “happy ship” atmosphere. At the helm was the handsome, charming Helge Brudvig, aka the “Paul Newman Captain,” who later went to Crystal. But all three ships were wonderful.

It was, Diane, I still think it makes sense to TRY to get the necessary paperwork for all the known port calls, just in case there was a medical or other reason to leave the cruise early and fly home. But trying doesn’t always mean succeeding. “Cancel for any reason” insurance is expensive but a good idea.

I'm passing on information that was new to me last week about Turks & Caicos, which is often on cruise itineraries these days. I've been told in the past from info on this message board that Bahamas insists on a permit - even for a cruiseline's private island and even when the dog is not going ashore. Since it has been difficult at times to get directly from the government there, I now arrange it by paying $90 to Wellington Saunders at Bahamas Pet Permit.com. We were preparing to cruise during the Easter season this year for 9 days. The line wanted copies of my permits for Bahamas and Turks & Caicos. I emailed Bahamas and told them the dog would not be getting off the ship when it was in Turks & Caicos. The cruiseline's accessibility people quickly replied that I would be denied boarding the ship without an "in-transit" permit for Turks & Caicos even if the dog was staying on board. Apparently this is something new, in addition to? the USDA APHIS requirements shown online. Has anyone else dealt with this? I found the application form on a T&C Tourism site (with a box to check for in-transit, and a mention that the $50 fee is waived for service dogs. https://www.visittci.com/downloads/animal-import-application-for-dogs-and-cats.pdf. I emailed it to the address shown on the form. I have never heard another word about my application. In the end, we were not willing to risk driving to the port and being denied boarding. We cancelled the night before the cruise. The cruiseline was very cooperative and I don't blame them for policies of foreign governments over which they have no control. I should add that my original itinerary did not even go to Turks & Caicos. It was substituted for another island. I have avoided T&Cs for years since it requires a blood titer test, and it was not worth it to me to spend approx $200 starting months in advance for that titer paperwork just to go ashore in the morning briefly - this itinerary had a 2 p.m.departure! And their own tourist web site mentions the feral dogs roaming around the island that kill pet cats. To end with a smile, since this transpired, I discovered that the island's only veterinarian offers a concierge service for "only" $250 to help people get pet permits. (Maybe because no one responds when you apply for your permit according to instructions? https://www.visittci.com/providenciales/bark-and-bliss. No, I'm not planning to use them. Or to ever set foot or paw onTurks & Caicos.

Wow, small world! Give her my best! I worked in airline sales throughout the 1970s, arranged a last-minute charter Royal Caribbean needed desperately during a strike situation, and they offered me a free cruise on Song of Norway to say thanks. I loved cruising so much, I jumped at an ad for a new sales rep position with Costa Cruises (when it was still owned by the Costa family) based in Washington DC. After Costa and a short stint with Sitmar, I went to Royal Viking Line in 1982. What a great company - very fond memories. Their ships, staff and crew were incredible, a big, happy family.

1977 Royal Caribbean’s Song of Norway

We sailed in a Lanai once, and my recollection is there would NOT be space for big ol’ outside lounge cushions to be kept inside the cabin unless you slept on top of them. Lanais are cool, but much tighter on space than other outsides on the lower prom deck. We had Coleman folding chairs in our RV van days, and they DO fold down fairly slim to be stowed. OP’s idea has possibilities. But I’d end up bringing an inflatable cube to prop my feet on, a cooler for beverages maybe? and then things would start getting out of hand…

Good tips! We (Big Black Dog People) are also in Club Orange (not that it helps for lunch on embarkation day) so we’ll catch up sooner or later … must join in the Painkiller research.

I agree, the problem results when something is taken away. And then another something…and then something else, even small things. Those hot hors d’oeuvres with drinks were nice. Reading these posts I’ve been remembering when I worked in the cruise industry (late 1970s & 1980s) as a sales/marketing rep. Most cruise lines did not have thousands of people to board within a few hours - the ships were smaller. So for crowd control purposes, no one needed to get on early enough to have main dining room lunch on embarkation days (except back-to-back passengers in transit). And there was no such thing as Lido-type restaurants on many ships either. Buffets were set up on a daily basis on sea days, often outside by the pool and the MDR served three meals daily. The line would selectively invite a handful of people for MDR lunch on embarkation day. Always local port officials and their families, always public health inspectors in Florida. Often the sales staff hosted small groups of travel agents invited for ship tours. The rest of the passengers boarded in early afternoon. They could snack on hors d’oeuvres ordered for their in-cabin bon voyage parties for their own local guest visitors. So MDR lunch was historically kind of special and it was quite nice to have it as a Mariner perk in recent decades. We once met people who became shipboard pals and ended up planning another HAL cruise with them.

Lovely sunset photos of the ILs…

I think it’s 7 am on port days, 7:30 am on sea days for Neptune Lounge.

MaryBethV, I want to thank you for the Aruba countryside tour review. Now I know I need to bring some sturdy walking shoes since we have also booked that tour. Your trip review gets an A+ for so much great, up-to-date Rotterdam info, and for such wonderful photos. I’m hungry every time I put down my ipad. Really looking forward to boarding on March 29!

The concierge lounge isn’t open at 5 a.m. Earliest, IIRC, is 7 a.m. on port days. Except for the issue of not wanting to awaken the spouse, a Neptune Suite cruiser can make coffee with their own private Nespresso machine.

A plan is afoot! Look for the people with large black dog.

Great idea - I’ll be interested in the research results. We lived on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands for years and just about any bar there and, obviously, any bar in the BVIs, serves up an excellent Painkiller. Friends always brought along a jug of Painkillers for a day on the sailboat using the Pusser’s recipe - except in our neck of the woods, dark Cruzan Rum was always substituted for the Pusser’s.

On Zaandam in September (10 days New England & Canada), we also received a card stating they were out of tiles and suggesting we present the card on our next cruise to receive them. No Mariner lunch event on that cruise, either, other than a glass of champagne with a few senior officers the first day.

Some of the HAL historic photos show a lot of young men dressed in that traditional costume, which (possibly? - just idle speculation) originated with “bellboy” garb in Asia’s luxury hotels such as the Hong Kong Peninsula in about the 1930s.

Thanks for posting about the Crow’s Nest being available to all. A forward lounge view has always been a happy place for me. I did not realize it was not open to all on the NCL & Princess ships you experienced.

The HAL check-in staff at FLL Port Everglades usually seems very efficient and experienced. I guess lots of practice makes perfect.

Just think of it as a marketing tool that varies, as does the price of the cruise. You just have to do the math. Almost always, if I’ve booked early, I still end up with a lower net price even if I’m paying for the Crew Appreciation.

I think it’s a good approach to do what you did - to state specifically what you would like to see happen for the issue to be resolved to your satisfaction.

Glad to know you received the credit you certainly were owed. Just curious: In your original thread, you planned to ask for a bottle of wine for your trouble - or did the guest services agent arrange it as a gesture of apology without being asked?

We were on an Alaska culinary cruise late in the season one year on a two-week itinerary RT from Seattle. A guest chef who had a restaurant in Anchorage, and a Pacific NW wine expert were featured guests. There was a reasonably priced special lunch in Pinnacle Grill with a menu they had created, and the two made brief remarks about the course-by-course pairings there. In addition there was a free culinary center cooking demonstration by the chef with samples. And I think a wine-tasting of the Pacific NW. Two very fun and generous sisters on our smallish roll call were already making social plans for our group when, not long before sailing date, they were upgraded to a Neptune. Lucky roll call! They invited us all for frequent cocktail hours, and roll call members contributed assorted wines & champagnes to the bar. Their stewards brought a plethora of hors d’oeuvres. One of the sisters already had a connection to the genial wine expert, so he & his wife joined the group at the suite parties a couple of times. A very fun cruise for so many reasons.

An excellent question and I can't recall ever seeing it asked, either. I'm thankful I have not experienced this but can contribute the experience of one of my best friends of 45 years. I am sure she and her mother had travel insurance but I do not recall the details there, nor did I ever ask about financial issues. My friend and her 89-year old mother were on their annual world cruise (not on HAL) and had just left Hawaii - my friend had emailed photos of them toasting Mai Tais on Waikiki Beach. At sea far from land two days later, her mother suddenly began feeling ill. The ship's infirmary doctor diagnosed a heart attack and administered a drug to try and break up clots. It was not successful and he could only keep her comfortable, with her daughter (her only living relative) at her side until she died. My friend later reported that the cruise line staff were tremendous in helping in every possible way, and that other passengers (and friends back home) rallied around her providing emotional and practical support, too. My friend's longtime companion (not on the cruise) updated us with emails during this awful time. On board, discussion of disembarkation ensued; Apia and Auckland were considered and dismissed; Sydney (2 weeks after her death) was deemed the best logistic choice by the cruiseline staff. I'm sure all of that was managed in coordination with shoreside management as well as the Sydney port agent. My friend left the ship in Sydney and the medical examiner received her mother's body at the pier. There had been some talk of an autopsy but fortunately Xrays confirmed the cause of death and, two weeks after leaving the ship, the body was flown back to their home city. Only then could she begin to make funeral arrangements, a month after her mother's death. Friends back home had already arranged for the local funeral home to be ready when the time came. My friend and her mother were as close as any two could be. The whole experience was beyond devastating but people were very kind to her. We have never asked for further details since it is such a sad topic. But she and her friends all agree (and it was noted in the obituary) that she died doing what she loved the most with the person she loved more than anyone on earth.

Definitely the smaller dining room for me - it’s more user-friendly for a person with a disability. Lower ceiling, plenty of space at a table by a wall for my service dog, less walking to navigate her to our table. The Pinnacle MDRs are dramatic visually and I like looking at them, but I prefer a more intimate feel. The Club Orange DR, especially on Rotterdam, delivers on that.